Method and means for waving hair



Jan. 11, 1938. G. DECKER METHOD AND MEANS FOR WAVING HAIR Original Filed June 5,v 1929 Patented Jan. 11,1938

UNITED i STATES PATENT OFFICE M'ETHOD AND MEANS FOR WAVING HAIR George Decker, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Philad Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporai tion of Ohio Original application June 5, 1929, Serial No. 368,545. Divided and this application August 28, 1933, Serial No. 687,049

6 Claims.

to Wind hair onV the head of the subject in a plurality of strands, ranging in number, generally, from twelve to thirty, depending on the type of heater to be used, to supply each strand with waving solution, and to surround each strand with a heater by which the solution is vaporized and caused to impart permanency to the Wave. The hair is divided by hand with the use of a comb, each strand being the hair extending from approximately a given area of scalp. The areas are determined by eye only, and so are not very accurately determined.

As the thickness, Vlength and distribution of the hairs vary considerably amongst different individuals, and even upon different parts of any one individuals head, this produces an appreciable variation in the quantity of hair which is wound into the several strands. There is also considerable variation in the amount of moisture applied to diierent strands, both because of the above mentioned fact and because of the inability to simply and accurately gage the amount of solution applied to each. Obviously, a strand Vhaving a relatively large quantity of hair and moisture requires more heat to vaporize this moisture than does one with a lesser quantity of hair and moisture. Y

The common practice heretofore has been to place electric heaters upon all the wound strands upon the head, these heaters being connected by a common manually operated switch to a source of electric current, and then, by this switch, to supply them all with current simultaneously.

The heating is continued until the operator believes that the moisture has all been evaporated. This, the operator may gage by Watching the steam which is emitted from the heaters, but obviously those heaters in which all the moisture is evaporated first cease to give off steam while some of the other heaters still contain quantities of moisture.

Of course, the condition of two curls, one of which has been completely steamedand the other of which has not, will not be the same, and frequently in such a situation, the latter will not have the desired permanency imparted to it.A

If, on the other hand, the heat is continued until all moisture is expelled from all the heaters, those in which the hair has rst dried out will be raised to a temperature above the boiling point of the solution and the hair in them is extremely apt to become burned or charred.

To overcome the undesirable results which would be produced by either too little or too much heat being applied to any strand, it is necessary for the operator to watch all the heaters closely and to remove those which have rst completed their operation, leaving the others in place. Certain disadvantages of this practice will readily become apparent. First: the per-V sonal element enters to a great extent, and unless the operator is extremely attentive and skillful, some of the strands will receive more heat relative to that requisite than will others. Second: the heaters are closely situated about the head and the removal of some and the leaving of others While all are at relatively high temperatures is awkward and apt to cause the operator to burn her fingers.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the difculties experienced with prior types of waving apparatus and methods.

Other objects will hereinafter appear.

The method will be better understood from the description of its practice in one form of apparatus by which it may be applied, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which;

Figure l is a View of two heaters, one being shown in perspective and the other in longitudinal section;

. Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a single heater showing the parts in a position they assume at the end of the heating process;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line III-III of Figure l; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view showing the application of the heaters and associated parts to the head of a subject.

As mentioned above, the hair of the subject is irst divided into a plurality of strands, and these are wound before the application of the heaters.

There are two generally used methods of winding at present in vogue, and the invention is illustrated with the method rst made popular by Josef Mayer and now generally known as the Croquignole process, in which the hair is wound into spiral form in contradistinction to the helical form, in which it was wound in the older process.

'I'he hair, having been divided into strands each of substantially greater length and breadth, is engaged adjacent the scalp by a protector clamp consisting of two arms I and 2 which may be provided with heat-insulating pieces 3 and 4 of wood or other desired material, the parts of this clamp, and also the curler rod to be described, being shown as substantially the same as those illustrated in my prior Patent Number 1,873,874.

The hair is extended from the clamp and, if necessary, spread out, into substantially flat form, its ends being placed about a curler rod of generally hyperboloidal shape, and the hair wound upon this rod from its ends nearly tc the clamp, the rod being held in place by any desired means such `as those illustrated in my above mentioned patent. After the winding, a pad 6 saturated with waving solution is placed over the wound strand, and the strand is in condition for application of heat, to impart permanency to the wave.

The heater shown consists of an arcuate shell formed of an inner arched plate 'l having outwardly extending peripheral flanges S, and anouter arched plate 9 spaced therefrom and secured to these flanges. Within the space between th'e above plates is a heating element le which consists of a coil of resistance Wire wound back and forth between sheets of mica or other suitable insulation. Thev marginal flange at one end of the heater is extended upwardly to form a lug I'Iv to which are secured blocks of insulating material, one of which constitutes a handle l2 and between two others I3 of which are positioned terminals l to which are connected conductors l5 extending from a source of electric current. The Wires I5 are connected through a switch I6 to a source of current such as an electric supply line 1T.

Upon the top of the casing is formed a projection or hollow boss I8 constituting a housing within which is carried a heat responsive device for controlling the current 'supplied to the heating element. This thermostatic device consists of a block of insulating material I9 carried by the shell to which is secured by means oi screws 2li, a lai-metallic strip 2l which is arranged to contact with an adjustable contact screw 22 carried by another block 23 of insulating material secured to the interior of the housing by a screw 24. The housing is provided with an aperture above the adjustable contact screw 22, so that this may be reached by a suitable tool and adjusted. One of the lead-in wires 25 from the heating element is connected to one of the terminals I4 above referred to, and the other 26' is connected to the bi-metallic strip. A conductor 2l connects the contact screw 22 to the other terminal.

YFrom the above, it willk be seen that the bimetallic element is enclosed within the shell of the heater and is subjected to all the variations in temperature to which the heater shell is subjected. When the temperature rises above a predetermined point for which the screw 22 has been adjusted,the bi-*netallic element deiects downwardly as shown in Figure 2 and thus breaks the circuit through which current is supplied the heating element,` permitting the same to cool oii". When this cooling has proceeded below-the *predetermined temperature, the bi-metallic element is again deflected upwardly into the position shown in Figure 1, contacting with the adjustable contact screw, and thus completing the circuit and rendering the parts capable of supplying current to the heating. element.

As'previously mentioned, it is especially important in permanent waving processes tovprevent the hair from being heated above the temperature at which the solution boils. At this a dry hot fiat iron, and the scorching produces the same deleterious effects upon the hair and causes it to become brittle and break oi, and sometimes to actually burn. Naturally the apparatus is so adjusted that it will break the circuit when the temperature exceeds by only a very little the boiling point of the solution with which it is intended to be used. The heater will therefore function as long as any solution is present, remaining at the boiling point, but a slight increase in temperature above this point will cause the thermostat tobreak the circuit. Oi course, if a temperature of say, 214 can be safely applied and the device is adjusted for this temperature, it will be relatively unimportant whether the moisture boils off, ona day ofV high barometricpressure, at 2131/2", and on a day of low barometric pressure at 2121/2", as in either event, as soon as the boiling point is exceeded by a matter of less than two degrees the current will be shut off.

The temperature of the heaters, in the absence of moisture, rises rapidly and, as also previously mentioned, the possibility of maintaining the strands within different heaters at exactly a single desired temperature by a central control is rendered, by the Variations in the amount of hair and moisture, very dicult.

By the provision of automatic means which will break the circlit of any individual heater as soon as its temperature reaches safe limits, all the heaters may be left in place until the entire operation is completed.

The device shown does not materially add to the bulk or Weight of the apparatus, is positioned so that it does not interfere with placing the heaters close together upon the head, is simple in construction and adjustment, and positive and accurate in its action.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 368,545, iled June 5, 1929,

for Apparatus for hair Waving.

While I have described the illustrated embodiment of my invention in some particularity, it is obvious that many variations will readily occur to those skilled in this art, and I do not therefore limit myself to the precise details shown .and described, but claim as my invention all modications and variations coming within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of waving hair upon the human head which comprises dividing the hair into a plurality of strands, winding each strand, supplying each strand with moisture, simultaneously applying heat to the strands, and individually and automatically controlling the heat supplied each strand in accordance with the temperature conditions existing at the strand and independent of conditions'at other strands.

2. I-Iair waving mechanism comprising, in combination, a plurality of electrical heating devices, means for supplying current to said devices independently, and each of said devices including thermally actuated means for interrupting the current supply to that device when a predetermined temperature has been reached therein, said thermally actuated means being independent of each other whereby said mechanism may be employed for treating simultaneously a plurality of strands of hair of different characteristics such as size, moisture content and the like Without damage to any of such strands.

3. Hair waving mechanism comprising, in combination, a source of current, a plurality of electrical heating devices, each including an electrical heating element, said heating elements being connected in parallel with each other and to said source, and a thermostatic switch in each device, connected in series With the heating element thereof and responsive to the temperature in that device.

4. The method of waving hair on the human head which comprises forming a plurality of Wound strands of hair, separately moistening each strand of hair and separately heating each moistened strand only until the moisture of each strand is entirely Vaporized.

' 5. The method of Waving hair upon the human head which comprises dividing the hair into a plurality of separate strands, separately forming each strand into a Wound roll of hair of spiral cross-section, separately moistening each strand of Wound hair and separately accelerating the evaporation of the moisture from each strand of Wound hair to thereby impart permanency to each of the spirally Wound strands of hair.

6. The method of Waving hair on the human head which comprises dividing the hair into a plurality of separate strands, separately forming each strand into a Wound roll of hair of spiral cross-section, separately moistening each strand of Wound hair and separately heating each strand of Wound hair and timing such heating independently of the heating of any other strand.

GEORGE DECKER. 

